Turmeric is not a new discovery. Long before it arrived in the wellness aisle it was a kitchen staple, a sacred pigment and a dye strong enough to colour cloth, and it had been all three for thousands of years.
What has changed is the form it comes in.
What is turmeric?
Turmeric is the rhizome of Curcuma longa, a plant that grows barely three feet tall and belongs to the same family as ginger. Above ground it produces a pale, orchid-like flower. The part that matters sits underneath – a knobbly, root-like stem that looks much like fresh ginger until you cut into it and find it vivid orange inside.
Dried and ground, it gives the warm, earthy, slightly bitter flavour and the deep ochre colour of fragrant curries, pickles and golden milk lattes, now a cult favourite.
It is native to South and Southeast Asia, where it has been cultivated for more than four thousand years.
Why has turmeric been used for so long?
Because it was useful in more ways than one.
Its pigment made it a dye for textiles, for skin and for religious garments, including the robes of Buddhist monks. It holds a place in Hindu and Buddhist ritual, and at Indian weddings a golden paste of turmeric is applied to the bride and groom during the vibrant Haldi ceremony for good luck and to lend their skin a healthy glow.
It is also one of the oldest medicinal plants in Ayurveda, the traditional Indian system of medicine still practised today, where it was used as a paste and an ointment. That long history is why turmeric is so often described as an ancient remedy, though it is worth saying plainly that historical use is not the same as proven effect. Turmeric supplements are foods, not medicines.
What is curcumin?
Curcumin is the compound behind the rich colour. It belongs to a group called the curcuminoids, and it accounts for only a small share of dried turmeric, somewhere between two and five per cent.
Which is why a curcumin supplement rarely uses the spice itself. How much curcumin turmeric contains varies from one plant to the next, so supplements use a standardised extract instead, with the amount measured and stated on the label.
Curcumin is also poorly absorbed on its own. That is the reason you see it paired so often with black pepper, which contains piperine and improves how much curcumin the body takes up.
Why has turmeric become so popular?
Because of curcumin, and because of how much attention it has had.
Curcumin is among the most heavily studied compounds in plant science, with researchers around the world looking at what it does and at how the body handles it. That body of work is what moved turmeric out of the spice rack and into the supplement aisle.
Turmeric gained real traction as a health and wellness supplement, driven largely by interest in curcumin’s anti-inflammatory activity envivo. Curcuminoids have been widely researched for their antioxidant properties and for their role in inflammatory processes.
The research is also, in the main, unfinished. Much of it is laboratory rather than clinical, and the findings so far are mixed.
Which is the best turmeric supplement?
Two things really separate one turmeric supplement from another.
The first is what the label tells you. A standardised extract states its curcuminoid content, so you know exactly what you are taking. Turmeric powder on its own does not.
The second is how it deals with absorption. Most answer it with black pepper, which contains piperine, and that is why you will find turmeric and black pepper capsules almost everywhere. Others use a liposomal or phospholipid formulation instead.
The rest is preference. High-strength turmeric capsules and tablets are the simplest place to start, liquids and oral sprays are an easy alternative, and single-serve sachets stir smoothly into a glass. You will also find luxurious blends of turmeric with botanicals like warming ginger and sour cherry, as well as premium complex formulations.
There is even a turmeric face oil, if you would sooner wear it than take it.
Is turmeric suitable for everyone?
Not necessarily. Turmeric is well established in cooking, but a concentrated extract is a different proposition from a spoonful stirred into a curry.
If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, taking prescription medication or living with a medical condition, speak to your GP or pharmacist before starting a high-strength supplement. Our pharmacists are always happy to talk it through.
Four thousand years in kitchens, temples and dye pots. The supplement is simply the newest way of keeping a little gold in the day.